A Simple Twist Of Destiny
by joy1791
Summary: The story of Hawkes and the woman that taught him the true meaning of love. Hawkes/OC
1. Prologue

**A/N – **So this is my second story. I noticed that they aren't many Hawkes based love stories so I decided to give him one. This is just the prologue and the other chapters will be longer and in third person. HAPPY READING!!

**Disclaimer – **I do not own CSI NY. *goes and runs in the corner to cry*

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Love. What is it exactly? A strong positive emotion of regard and affection. Or deep, ineffable feeling of tenderly caring for another person. Well, what ever it is, I never really knew.

I guess I always pictured myself falling in love, but I never dwelled on the fantasy. Maybe it's because I'm a guy. Or maybe it's because I never really knew what I wanted it to be like when I fell in the love. Though this may be the case, I always knew what I didn't want. I didn't want one of those story book romances. I didn't want to meet her in a coffee shop after she spills her coffee on me or on a busy subway train after she slipped and I was able to catch her in my arms. No, I wanted to meet her in a way that let me know that it was our destiny to meet, a way that people wouldn't believe it when we told them. That's what I wanted.

But hey, I was content with my life that way it was. I was happy with my job, I had great friends, nice apartment, and so on. I guess you could say I had a great life. But once I met her, everything else became second nature.

She wasn't what I pictured my future wife to be like, that's for sure. I always imagined myself falling for a simple, yet exciting woman, maybe someone who was a librarian or a teacher. She would enjoy books and movies. She would enjoy the occasional fun night out but would always be up for a crazy night in. That's how I imagined her.

Turns out, my one true love would be a little bit different. She's a free spirit who lives life to the fullest each and everyday. She's amazing. Smart, beautiful, creative, funny, confident, and well, a whole lot of other things.

The best thing about her though, she taught me the true meaning of love.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N – **Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys like it so far. Here's chapter 1. HAPPY READING!!!

**Disclaimer – **I don't own CSI NY. Ugh!!

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Dr. Sheldon Hawkes made his way into his apartment building at around 8:00 that cool Thursday evening in October. He had gone to work at 8:00 that morning so he was extremely worn out and tired. The first half of his shift was spent in the lab, analyzing evidence and trying to gather a solid lead. The second half was full of witness questioning and standing in the viewing room while Flack interrogated suspects.

Sure it was hard, but at the end an arrest was made and Sheldon was able to go home knowing he rid the city of one more criminal.

Sheldon made his way into the building and jogged his way up the two flights of stairs to his floor. He exited the stairwell and made his way down the hallway to his apartment. As he neared his door, he noticed a young woman about to go into the apartment next door.

She was a slender African-American woman with shoulder length black hair and smooth tan skin. She was dressed in simple blue jeans and wore a forest green pea coat. In one arm she balanced a cardboard box while trying to use the other to open the door with the key.

Sheldon, noticing her struggling, rushed to her side.

"Here, let me help you." he said, gently taking the box from her arms.

The woman looked up for the first time. When her eyes met Sheldon, he felt his heart skip a beat from some strange reason. He guessed it was because she was extremely beautiful. Her big brown eyes, somewhat hidden by the bangs that fell over her face, seemed to mesmerize him.

"Thanks," she said politely. "I guess there are some nice people in New York after all."

Hearing her speak broke Sheldon from his previous thoughts.

"Are you new to the city?" he inquired.

"Not really, I've been hear for about a year. I've just been in this position before and no one's ever seem to care." she told him, lightly brushing her bangs out her eyes.

Sheldon chuckled lightly. "Well, I try to represent for the nice guys of the world."

The woman also chuckled. "Well at least someone is." she told him has she opened the door to her apartment.

Sheldon noticed that the entryway was filled with boxes. "So, you just moved in?"

"Yeah, earlier today. You didn't notice your old neighbor moving out a couple of days ago?"

Sheldon shook his head. "Probably not. I'm always working so I probably wasn't home to notice." he said, handing her the box.

"Well, thanks again, uh, neighbor." she said.

"I'm Sheldon, Sheldon Hawkes."

"Well nice to meet you Sheldon. I'm Allison by the way. Allison Carter." she said, extending a hand to shake his.

Sheldon returned her handshake, trying to ignore the way her hand sent electricity to his.

"Well, nice to meet you too Allison. I guess I'll see you around"

"Definitely." she told him.

Sheldon smiled at her one last time before picking up his work bag that he had sat on the floor of the hallway when he was helping her with her box.

He made his way the few feet over to his front door and used his key to go inside. He sat his bag in the entry way of the door and dropped his keys on the front table.

Sheldon didn't stop as he made his way to his bedroom. After changing into sweats and a t-shirt, he got right into bed. Physically, he was completely drained, but, like most of the time, his mind was still in overdrive. He kept replaying the scenes of meeting his new neighbor.

Something about her made it hard for Sheldon to get her out of his head. He didn't know if it was how genuinely nice she seemed or the fact that she was very attractive.

Sheldon didn't know for sure but he hoped to be able to see her more to find out.

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Sheldon woke up the next morning, grateful that Mac had given the day off. Sure, he loved his job but he hadn't had a day off in what felt like years, even though it was only a couple of months.

After showering and getting dressed in jeans and an old college t-shirt, Sheldon grabbed his coat and headed out the front door of his apartment. The moment he closed the door behind him, he heard another one open. He looked over to see Allison walking out of her door.

When she noticed Sheldon, a smile came across her face.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite neighbor." she greeted.

"Wow, I'm your favorite." Sheldon said, putting a hand over his heart, pretending to be deeply moved.

Allison laughed out loud at his antics. "Well of course you're my favorite neighbor. Though it may have to do with the fact that you're the only neighbor I have met so far."

Sheldon nodded. "Well. I guess that makes sense. So, um do you have time to grab a cup of coffee with your favorite neighbor?" he asked, unaware of how his mind came up with the idea of asking her to coffee, even though he was grateful it did.

"Lead the way" she said with a smile.

Sheldon returned the gesture and the two made their way out off the apartment building and onto the busy sidewalks of New York City.

"So, what coffee shop are we headed to?" Allison inquired.

"It's a little café owned by these two sisters. It's just at the corner here."

Just as he said, the pair entered the small but cozy café located on the same block as their apartment building. There were a few tables and chairs in the middle of the room and booths located along the walls.

Sheldon led the way up to the counter to place their orders. The old woman at the cash register smiled when she noticed Sheldon was her next customer.

"Hey Sheldon, how's it going." she said.

"Pretty good Marge. How about you?"

"Can't complain." she told him. She then noticed that he wasn't alone.

"Oh, and who is this pretty lady?"

"Hi, I'm Allison." the young woman said.

"Well, nice to meet you Allison. It's about time Sheldon got himself a pretty girlfriend. He's too good of a man to be single for the rest of his life."

Both Allison and Sheldon laughed lightly at the woman's assumption.

"No, no Marge, she is just a friend." Sheldon said with a smile.

Marge smirked at the pair. "Sure, we'll see how long that lasts."

Once again, Sheldon and Allison laughed at the old woman. They placed there orders, Sheldon with a black coffee and Allison with a cup of hot green tea. Sheldon, much to Allison's protest, paid for both of their orders. They took a seat in on the booths after Marge promised to deliver them their beverages.

After sitting comfortably in the booth, Allison spoke up.

"So, I see you come here often."

"If you consider once or maybe even twice a day often, then yeah, I do." he told her.

"Wow, that's a lot of black coffee."

Sheldon chuckled lightly. "Yeah, well when you work twelve hours shifts back to back, you do what you have to, you know."

Allison's eyebrows raised in question. "Twelve hours? Wow, where do you work."

"I'm a crime scene investigator with the NYPD." he informed her.

Allison's eyes got wide. "Wow, that's pretty cool. I have to be honest though, I didn't picture you as a CSI or anything."

Sheldon shrugged lightly. "It's cool. Most people don't. It wasn't first choice though. I was a surgeon, then a coroner before I went into the field."

"Wait, you're a doctor?" she asked.

Sheldon nodded.

"Wow, how lucky am I." she said.

Sheldon's eyebrows raised in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Allison smiled. "I live next door to a doctor. If I ever have a stomach ache or anything, I'll just knock on your door."

Sheldon let out a laugh before looking back at her. "Well you know you don't have to be sick to knock on my door."

Allison smirked at his comment. "Are you flirting with me Doctor?"

Sheldon just shrugged. "Maybe."

Before she could respond, a waitress had brought them their orders. Allison sipped her tea while looking at Sheldon who was looking back at her.

Normally Allison wasn't one to become so comfortable with someone she just met. But something about Sheldon was different. And she liked it.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N – **Thanks again for all the reviews and story alerts. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story so far. Oh, and I hope you all had a happy New Year! Here's chapter 2. HAPPY READING!!!

**Disclaimer – **I know, I know, I don't own CSI NY.

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Stella Bonasera looked up from her desk to the sounds of someone whistling a random tune. Looking out of the glass walls of her office, she saw Sheldon making his way into her office.

"Someone's happy." she told him as he handed her a file.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how all morning you've been walking around whistling and smiling and stuff. Something interesting happen on your day off?"

"Not, really." he said innocently.

"You met someone, didn't you." she said, more as a statement than a question.

Sheldon shook his head slightly to say no but his expression said otherwise.

Sheldon had spent his most of his day off talking to Allison. They had spent almost three hours in the coffee shop talking about anything and everything. They had even gone out to lunch together. Sheldon didn't know what it was about Allison that intrigued him so much but he definitely didn't mind. She was a beautiful person inside and out.

During their time together, he was able to learn a lot about her.

"_So, you know what I do, what do you do?" Sheldon asked her, taking a sip of his now cold coffee._

"_I'm a photographer."_

"_Really, what kind of photographs do you take?"_

"_Well, my friend is a designer so I work mostly with her, taking pictures of the models and stuff you know. But to be honest, I have always enjoyed just taking shots of historical sites and nature as it is."_

Sheldon smiled at the memory of his day with Allison. He felt extremely comfortable with her, almost like they had known each other their whole lives. Sheldon's change in demeanor did not go unnoticed.

"What's her name?" Stella asked.

"Who's name?" Danny Messer asked when he walked into Stella's office.

"Hawkes's new girlfriend" Stella said with a smirk.

Danny looked over at Sheldon. "Congrats buddy. Is she pretty?"

Sheldon shook his head and laughed. "First of all, she is not my girlfriend. She's just my new next door neighbor."

Before anyone could reply, Stella's phone went off. She looked down at the screen and let out a sigh. "We got a DB over in times square." she said, getting up and heading toward the door. On her way out she looked over at Sheldon. "Don't think this over buddy."

Sheldon just chuckled and headed out behind her, with Danny at his side.

"But seriously, how does she look?" he asked.

Sheldon didn't say anything, he instead just smiled at Danny who understood completely.

"Oh, yeah. She must be pretty."

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"What's his name?"

Allison looked up from the photographs she was going over to see her best friend and boss looking back at her with her arms crossed over her chest. She knew that trying to deny anything would be pointless because Angelica Santos could read her like no other.

"Sheldon." Allison said, a small grin starting to from on her face.

Angelica eyebrows raised in question. "Spill"

Allison began to tell her friend everything that happened the day before, from going out for coffee to going out for lunch. When she was finished, she couldn't stop smiling. She had really enjoyed herself yesterday and hoped to be able to do it more often.

"So, wait, he's a doctor?" Angelica asked.

"Yup." Allison said with a smirk.

"Gee, Allie. You're so lucky." she said with a huff.

Allison looked at her friend with disbelief. "Are you serious, Angie? I'm not the one who's engaged to Mr. Perfect, that is what you call him, right?"

Angie shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, well, don't get me wrong, I love Brian. But until I become Mrs. Jacobson, I have the right to talk about whom ever I want so ha."

Allison looked at her best friend and laughed. "I guess you got a point."

"Of course I do." she replied, brushing her long dark hair out of her face. Angelica was a pretty woman, just like a model as Allison often said. She was tall, with long legs and smooth tan skin.

"So, when do I get to meet him?" Angie asked.

Ever since high school, the two friends had a rule that neither dated anyone without the other meeting him first. They don't know why or when it started but it just kind of became this unspoken rule between them.

Angelica and Allison had been best friends since they met in highschool back in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia. They had both gone to college together and afterwards moved to New York where Angelica could pursue he career as a designer and Allison as a photographer.

"I don't know Angie. I mean, who knows if we're ever going to date?"

Angie gave her friend a knowing look. "We'll just see about that."

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Sheldon arrived home at 9:00 that night. When he stepped out of the stairwell onto his floor, he half expected to see Allison going into her door. He chuckled to himself when he saw her going into door.

"You know, we have to stop meeting like this." he called out.

Allison turned her head and smiled when she saw Sheldon. When he reached her, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm beginning to think that this is a habit of yours Doctor." she said with a smirk.

Sheldon nodded. "Yeah, well, I do love to purposefully run into beautiful woman in the hallway."

Allison smiled at his compliment, causing Sheldon to do so as well. Her smile was contagious. "Aww, Sheldon, you think I'm beautiful?"

Sheldon shrugged. "You're okay." he joked, earning him a smack on the chest.

"Ha, ha. You're so funny." she said sarcastically. "So, you just get back from ridding the city of all the bad guys?"

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that. What about you?"

"I just got back too. We've been working on this big project. So now I'm gonna go search for something to eat."

"Search?" he questioned.

Allison laughed at her choice of words. "Yeah, well, I really haven't had a chance to do any real grocery shopping since I moved in, but I 'm sure I'll find something."

"Well, you know you could always eat here." Sheldon suggested, pointing at his apartment.

Allison bit her bottom lip before answering. "I'd love too."

Sheldon smiled before moving to open his front door. "Right this way" he said, extending out his arm to lead her into his apartment.

She smiled at graciously before entering. She walked into the foyer and smiled as she looked around. "Wow, this is a really nice apartment." she said, before laughing out loud.

"What's so funny?" he questioned.

"It looks just like mine, well except for the fact that yours is decorated and nice and neat and everything. Mine still needs some more work." she pointed out, taking off her coat.

"Here, let me take that." he offered, taking her coat and hanging it up in the front closet.

"Wow, aren't you hospitable." she commented.

Sheldon chuckled as he led the way into his kitchen. He opened the door to his fridge and frowned. "Hey Allison," he started but was interrupted.

"Please call me Allie. Allison is so serious sounding, it reminds me of my father."

Sheldon looked at her with a smile. "Will do Allie. I was going to say I hope you like take-out because I really don't have any food either."

"Take-out is good." she told him.

Sheldon ordered take-out and the pair sat on his sofa eating, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company. Like the first time they spent time together, everything just seemed so natural. They had been talking for over an hour before Allison finally stood up with a yawn.

"Look, Sheldon. It's late, I should probably go."

Sheldon nodded and went to get her coat. "Let me walk you home." he said as he opened his front door and walked with her the five feet to her door.

"Whew, that's a long walk," he joked, causing Allison to laugh.

"Yes it was. I'm sorry you have to walk all the way back."

"Yeah well, you're worth it" he told her, looking straight into her eyes.

As Allison stared back at him, she slowly leaned into to him, bringing her face closer to his. Sheldon began to do the same as he slowly dipped his head and gently placed his lips onto hers. The kiss was sweet, short, and gentle but still held meaning. Allison looked up at his slightly taller frame and a smile graced her face.

"Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night," he asked quietly.

"Of course," she answered before leaning back into him a placing another kiss on his lips.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N – **Okay, sorry for taking so long. I haven't forgot about this story or anything. School has just been really busy. Anyways, HAPPY READING!!

**Disclaimer –** I don't own CSI NY. Do you?

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Sheldon glanced in the mirror, looking at himself one last time. He sighed, figuring it was too late to make any changes. He ran a hand over his face, frustrated with himself for getting so worked up over his appearance. He always considered himself to be pretty calm when it came to woman. _Not this time _he thought to himself. He didn't know why Allison made him so nervous. Well, he figured it had to do with the fact that she was extremely attractive. But the thing he liked most about her was her smile. The way her perfectly white teeth came through and the dimples appeared on her cheeks. That's why Sheldon was nervous. He wanted to make sure he brought out that smile tonight.

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Allison stood in front of her full length mirror, frustrated once again. She had already changed five times, turning her bed into a lump of clothes. She let out a groan, not understanding why it was so hard. She had always considered herself to be pretty calm when it came to men. _Not this time _she thought to herself. She didn't know why Sheldon mad her so nervous. Well, she figured it to do with the fact that he was extremely handsome. But the thing that he she liked most were his eyes. Sure, there were brown like hers, but every time she looked into them, they always seemed to look back at her with some type of passionate emotion. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she hoped tonight, she got the chance to find out.

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Sheldon walked out of his door, and made his way to Allison's. He chuckled when he realized that leaving so early was pointless sense it took him less than ten seconds to get to the door. He knocked on the door and barely had time to check his breath before the door swung open.

He smiled, expecting to see Allison, but his smiled dropped slightly when a tall, Hispanic woman opened the door.

"Hi, I'm here to see Allison." he said politely.

"One point. Allison who?" she replied.

Confused at her response, he still answered her question. "Allison Carter. I'm Sheldon by the way."

The woman smirked. "Two point, three points. Come on in." she said, stepping aside to let him in.

Sheldon thanked her as she stepped inside the apartment. "I'm Angelica, Allison's friend." she said, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you Angelica." he said. Before he could ask her about the point thing, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and nearly fainted at the sight of her.

Allison stood in the hallway in a dark purple dress. The dress stopped right at her knee, making it both appropriate and a tease at the same time. The thin straps showed off her tone arms, and beautiful shoulders. For the first time since meeting her, she had pulled her hair back, bangs included, revealing the rest of her face. Sheldon stood speechless she slowly walked up to him.

"Sheldon?" she said quietly. She was also impressed with him in his black dress slacks and navy shirt, mostly hidden by his coat.

"You look beautiful." he told her, his voice barley above a whisper.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome." he replied, leaning in a placing a small kiss on her lips. After backing up, he looked down and saw the smile that made his heart dance.

"You guys do know you're not alone." Angelica announced, ruining the moment.

Allison chuckled and turned to look at her friend. "You can leave now."

"Fine, fine. But I will tell you that your little boyfriend here scored all three points."

Allison smiled at Sheldon. "Of course he did."

Sheldon looked between the two women confused. "Does anyone want to fill me in?"

Allison chuckled lightly. "It's this stupid thing we made up in high school"

"It is not stupid." Angelica interrupted.

"Sorry." Allison said before turning back to Sheldon. "It's this not stupid thing we made up in high school called C.A.P."

"C.A.P?"

"Confidence, Awareness, and Politeness." Angelica explained. "When you knocked on the door and saw that I answered, you didn't assume that you were at the wrong address. Hence the first point. Although that probably shouldn't count since you live next door. Then you remembered her last name. Two points. Lastly, you introduced yourself. Three points."

Sheldon looked back at Allison who was shaking her head. "Told you it was stupid."

"I don't think its stupid." he told her. "I think it's cute."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Oh, great. Let me leave before you two get all mushy." she announced, getting her coat.

"Bye Angelica. I was nice meeting you." Sheldon told her.

"You too." she said before looked over to Allison. "Call me."

Allison promised she would and watched as her friend left.

"So, you ready to go?" Sheldon asked.

"Yup"

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"I don't think I can ever eat again." Allison laughed, rubbing her stomach as she and Sheldon walked along the New York City sidewalks after finishing dinner. They went to a new seafood restaurant that Sheldon promised she would like, and he was definitely right. They spent the night eating together all while learning more about each other.

Sheldon was able to find out that Allison was originally from Richmond, Virginia where she grew up with her parents and her older sister. Both of her parents were teachers, her mom in third grade while her father taught high school. She talked about how going to the same school where your father taught was hard, especially because they disagreed on most things.

"So, what was it like growing up New York?" she asked as the two continued to walk, their arms intertwined.

"Pretty normal. People forget that New York is not that same as New York City. I grew up about forty five minutes away from the city. I just moved here when I went to college."

"Ah, which is where you became the genius that you are today?"

Sheldon laughed out loud. "I wouldn't call myself a genius. I just like to learn."

"Well that makes one of us." she joked.

"You didn't like school?"

"Not really. My dad made me enroll in this special science program, so I had to take advanced science courses all through out high school. My sister was in the same program and went on to major in biology and now has this big job where she gets to work in this nice lab and everything. I'm proud of her but that's not what I wanted to do, you know. Photography was my thing."

"But your father didn't like it."

Allison shook her head. "Nope. He would always say that taking pictures isn't a real job. He hated that I majored in it at college, and to be honest, he still hasn't gotten over it."

"Do you guys still talk?" he asked as they rounded the corner to their building.

"Yeah we do, but the conversation always manages to lead to how I shouldn't be living in New York all alone because it's dangerous and I might get mugged and stuff. But hey, I'm a grown woman, right?"

Sheldon nodded in agreement. "Of course."

Allison looked up at Sheldon. "Sorry for my babbling. I could complain about my dad for hours."

"You weren't babbling. Plus, I like that you can talk to me about stuff."

Allison smiled before leaning up and pecking him on the lips. "Thanks you"

"Your quite welcome." he told her before leaning down and kissing her again. He hands went around his waist he pulled her closer to him. Allison's hand went to the back of his neck, eagerly returning the kiss.

Standing on the street, the two New Yorkers enveloped themselves in one another, neither wanting to end the moment. And neither planned to.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N – **I'm really sorry about taking so long to update. I'm trying to write two stories at once and it's harder than I thought. But never fear, a new chapter is here (corny I know, but just humor me). But here's chapter 4…or 5 if you count the prologue. HAPPY READING!!!!

**Disclaimer – **I don't own CSI NY. Maybe in a previous life though.

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"I hate that woman."

Allison looked up from her computer to see Angelica storming in her office, hands on her hips. "Which woman?" she asked with an amused expression.

"Jillian. She thinks she's she can tell me what to do." she complained.

"Well, technically she can tell you what to do. I mean she is your boss, Angie." Allison pointed out.

"She is your boss, Angie." she mimicked. "Well, I think she should be fired."

"How would she get fired from her own label?" Allison asked her, still amused.

Jillian Michaels was the head designer and owner at the label, JM. Both Allison and Angelica disliked the woman, mainly because she was rude and acted like she didn't need them, but she did. Angelica was one of her best designers, but she never got any credit for it.

"So what did she do this time?" Allison asked.

"So there were, going over the spring line ideas, when she says 'I love this orange dress right here.' "

"Did she happen to be referring to the one you designed?"

"Yes!" Angie exclaimed.

"So, the problem with that is?" Allison questioned, confused.

"Well, she goes on to say 'I don't remember designing it, but since it's so amazing, I guess I did'. So then I start to tell her that it's mine, and she tells me to shut the hell up!"

"She said that?" Allison asked with a smirk, knowing that Angie was exaggerating.

"Well, not really, but she may as well had."

Allison rolled her eyes, standing up and stretching. "Well you go beat her up and I'll see you tomorrow." she said, gathering her things.

"You're leaving?"

"Well, when one says that they'll see you tomorrow, that's usually what that means." she joked.

"Keep talking, Allie. After I'm finished with Jillian, I'll come after you next." she said, pointing her finger at Allison.

Allison rolled her eyes as she made her way out of the office. "By Angie" she called out.

She made her way through the main hallway, which was still full of people, all rushing to get things done. She sighed contently, happy to not be one of them. She was about to reach the elevator when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her phone and groaned at the name that appeared on the screen.

"Hello." she said, her voice full of false cheer.

"Carter, I need you in my office." Jillian said, or more like demanded.

Allison heard the phone click before she had a chance to say anything. She turned back around and made her way towards Jillian's office that was in the very middle of the office. She opened the door to see Jillian standing over her desk, looking at some of the photos Allison had given to her that morning.

Jillian Michaels might have been an evil woman, but she was definitely beautiful, a trait that Angelica believed was the only reason she was so successful. Standing almost 5'11 in heels (something that she has almost never been seen without) Jillian was petite, with light brown hair cut in a short bob, or as Allison referred to it, the "Victoria Beckham Bob". Her deep blue eyes might have seem harmless to people that didn't know her, but one mean look from her could kill, or at least make you cry.

"You wanted to see me."

Jillian didn't look up from her photos but instead motioned for Allison to come closer.

Allison tried her hardest not roll her eyes as she walked over to the desk, preparing for Jillian to tell her to redo the pictures because they were terrible.

"You need to tell Santos to watch it." she said bluntly.

Her comment took Allison by surprise. "What?" she asked, not sure if she had heard her right.

Jillian looked up for the first time, her usual stone-like expression on her face. "I think you heard me."

"Look, Jillian. I don't really understand what you're talking about….."

"I think you do. Santos is one of my best designers, and I would hate to have to fire her because of an attitude problem." she interrupted.

_She's not the one with the attitude problem, _she thought to herself. "Look Jillian, I know Angelica can be a bit...." she thought for a moment, looking for the best word "headstrong sometimes, but that' s just because she's really good at what she does and I think it goes without saying that she can be a little underappreciated sometimes."

"What exactly are you implying, Carter?" she asked, her tone slowly filling with anger.

"Nothing," Allison said, holding her hands up defensively. "I'm just saying that maybe you could give her a little pat on the back now and then."

"You know what Carter, I'll just tell her myself. You can go now." she said, turning back to the photos.

Allison sighed, and turned around, walking out of the office. On her way back to the elevator, she pulled out her phone, and sent a text to Angelica.

_BEWARE: The evil one is going to summon you to her chamber, _she typed with a laugh.

When she was in the elevator, heading to the ground floor, her phone beeped, signaling a reply.

_Lucky me. No worries, though. I know how to take her. SHE CANT WIN!!!!_

Allison laughed out loud at the reply, causing the other occupants of the elevator to look at her strangely.

"Sorry," she mumbled, before replying. _LOL. You're crazy chica. Don't do anything stupid, because I'm not bailing you out or anything._

She was barely out of the elevator before she got a reply.

_Don't worry. I watch enough TV. I can make it look like a suicide, _it read.

Allison laughed before texting her goodnight. She was made her way the lobby of the building, stopping at the security desk. The heavy-set guard gave her a huge smile.

"Hey there Ms. Allie." he greeted her with his thick New York accent.

"Hey Hank. Saving us from more bad guys today." she asked with a smile.

Hank had been the security guard at the front desk long before Allison had ever started working there. She, along with everyone else, knew that he had a soft spot for Allison. She always joked with him, saying that if her were 25 years younger, she would go out with him. It made him blush every time.

"Only you, cutie." he said, with a dimpled grin. She rubbed his bald head, like she always did when he gave her a compliment.

"Well, have a good night Hank."

"You too, Ms. Allie." he told her, before remembering something. "Oh, and Ms. Allie, you got ya a visitor."

"Who?" she asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Some guy name Sheldon. He got her about an hour ago, but I told him you normally leave a little late on Wednesdays so he said he was just going to that little coffee shop next door to wait for you."

A bright smile came over her face as she thanked Hank and practically ran out door.

Allison walked down to coffee shop that sat on the same block as her building. She made her way in the door and scanned the tables for Sheldon. The shop was surprisingly crowded for a Wednesday evening but she spotted him at one of the small tables against the far window.

His back was to her so she quietly made her way to stand behind him. She placed her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who." she said, making no attempt to disguise over her voice.

Sheldon smiled before answering. "Hmm. Well whoever you are, you got a sexy voice, so I'm going with Halle Berry."

Allison removed her hands, frowning down at him as he looked up at him. "That's hurts." she joked, placing a hand over her heart. He smiled at her as she tried to maintain her hurt expression but couldn't. She gave up a placed a small kiss on his lips, before taking the seat across from him.

"You want anything?" he asked, motioning to the counter.

"No thanks." she replied. "So what exactly are you doing on this side of town, Mr. Hawkes?"

"That's Dr. Hawkes to you missy." he joked.

"Whatever, _Mr. Hawkes_." she teased. "Your little joke there doesn't answer my question."

"Well, if you must know, I came down because I got off early so I figured since that is a rarity, I should take advantage of the moment and take my beautiful girl I know home." he told her.

Allison narrowed her eyes at him. "Smooth."

Sheldon shrugged, before standing up and offering her his hand. "I know." he said.

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So this chapter may seem kind of boring but it serves as a lead up to the next one so keep a look out.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N – **Okay, so I have to apologize for taking so long to update this story. I haven't forgot about it or anything. Want to give a special thank you to **raetaylor** for reminding me. Love ya much! HAPPING READING!!!

**Disclaimer – **I don't own CSI NY, trust me. I don't. Really.

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"You know you didn't have to do this right?"

Sheldon looked over at Allison as the two made their way towards their building after leaving the coffee shop. "And you know you can stop saying that, right?"

Allison sent a small smirk in his direction. "Hey, don't criticize me for being grateful," she joked.

Sheldon laughed out loud at her comment. "Trust me, I'm not criticizing you. I think it's sweet but I want you to understand that I know I don't have to do anything. I'm just doing it because I want to."

"Understood," she said with a small smile.

The two walked in a comfortable silence for a while until Allison's cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse, glanced at the caller id, and put it back in her purse.

Sheldon watched her curiously as she continued walking; ignoring the phone's consistent ringing. "I take it that that was somebody you didn't want to talk to."

"Yeah. It was my mom. She's been calling me non-stop for the past week about coming home for Thanksgiving."

Sheldon nodded in understanding, not wanting to pry. He knew that she didn't get along with her family as well as she would have liked. They walked a while longer before Sheldon spoke up again. "You know, if you don't want to go home, you can come to my parents'," he said slowly, not knowing if his invitation was too forward.

Allison stopped walking and looked at Sheldon with her eyebrows raised. "Really?" she asked in disbelief.

"I mean, only if you want to. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to…"

"I'd love to," she said, interrupting him.

Sheldon looked at her with a surprised expression. "Are you sure?"

Allison nodded as they started walking again. She looped her arm though through his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Yes, I'm sure."

"I just wanted to make sure. I mean, I know it's only been a few weeks and everything so I don't want you to think that I'm trying to rush anything."

"I don't think that Sheldon. It'll be nice to meet your family. Plus I can't wait to hear my Dad freak out when I tell him that I'm not coming home for Thanksgiving," she admitted.

"You're horrible," Sheldon joked.

Allison shrugged and leaned in closer. "I know. But hey, you're the one that's dating me, so I think that makes you just as horrible."

Sheldon laughed out loud as they rounded the corner and onto the street of their building.

"So, what are you doing this weekend?" Sheldon asked her as they made their way up the front steps.

"Uh, nothing really but I have a feeling that that's about to change."

"Well, I figured maybe I would cook you dinner on Saturday evening," he said as they went up the steps to their floor.

"You cook?" she asked.

Sheldon shrugged lightly. "I know my way around the kitchen."

"Wow. He's a doctor and he can cook. It's seems I hit the jackpot," she said, causing Sheldon to laugh.

"So I'm going to take that as a yes," he said as they reached their floor.

"Yes, that's a yes. Besides, it would be nice to eat a home cooked meal. The only thing I know how to cook is Easy Mac," she admitted.

"Well, it is a good thing I'm a doctor then, just in case I ingest something you cook," he joked.

He was expecting a smack or something but all he heard was Allison laugh. "As much as I would love to counter that statement, I can't help but think that you're right."

They shared another laugh as they reached Allison's door.

"I gotta say, this whole living next door thing is actually really convenient, you know. It only takes me about five seconds to get home from here," Sheldon said with a grin.

Allison faked a hurt expression. "Gee, thanks Sheldon. What if we lived twenty minutes apart? Would you still walk me home then?"

"Of course," he said simply.

Allison rolled her eyes playfully. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Always manage to say the right thing. You're a guy so you're supposed to say something stupid every now and then."

"Oh, um okay," he replied, biting his bottom lip in thought. "How about this? Yes, those pants do make you look fat."

Allison stared at Sheldon before bursting out in laughter. "You know what, forget I said anything. You're really bad at insults, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I guess," he said with a chuckle.

Allison smiled and leaned up to press a kiss on his lips. "Well, thanks again for the company."

"You're welcome," he replied, giving her another kiss before watching her go into her apartment.

When she was fully inside, her turned around and headed to his own apartment.

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Allison shot up in her bed from the sound of someone knocking on the door. Wearily, she glanced at the clock and saw that it read 2:09 am. She squinted her eyes in confusion, curious to who was knocking on her door so late. She paused, pondering the fact that the knocking may have been in a dream. She was proved wrong however when the knocking continued.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed with a groan, unhappy with the interruption. She padded out of the bedroom, dressed in red pajama pants and a white tank top. She made her way to the door and looked out of the peephole. She bit her bottom lip when she didn't recognize the tall male figure on the other side.

With hesitation, she slowly opened the door, leaving the chain lock on so the door only opened a few inches.

"Yes?" she asked slowly.

"Are you Allison Carter?" the male asked. He was tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in a dark colored suit.

"Yeah," Allison answered.

The man reached onto his belt and pulled of the badge that was clipped to it. "Hi, I'm Detective Don Flack with the NYPD. I need to ask you a couple questions," he said.

Allison held up her forefinger before closing the door to unlock the chain. She reopened it all the way, allowing Flack to come into full view. "Questions about what?"

"Do you know this woman," he asked, ignoring her question. He held up a picture in his hand.

Allison leaned in closer and gasped when she recognized the lifeless face in the photo. "Oh my God, that's Jillian Michaels."

"What was your relationship with Ms. Michaels?"

Allison ran a hand through her messy hair. "Um, she was my boss."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Flack asked her.

"Yesterday, right before I left work."

While she spoke, Flack took down all the notes in his notepad. He looked back up at Allison.

"What's your relationship with Angelica Santos?"

"She's my best …" Allison trailed off, a thought coming to her mind. "Wait, you think she had something to do with it?"

"We have reason to believe that she might be involved," Flack admitted to her.

Allison's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "What! That's crazy. She would never do anything like that," she insisted.

"Really?" Flack questioned. "Because we discovered that she sent numerous texts to your phone, one even way that she knows how to make it look like a suicide."

Allison let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, we were just joking, okay. She didn't mean anything by it."

Once again, Flack persisted with his belief. "Are you sure? We have witnesses that say that Angelica has always hated Jillian and that the two had a confrontation during the day."

Allison stared at Flack, a mix of anger and disbelief on her face. "Look Detective. I know it looks bad but Angie didn't do anything. I know her, okay. She would never kill anyone."

Flack eyed her suspiciously, not fully believing her. Allison sensed that and was prepared to speak again when a thought entered her mind. "Excuse me, "she said hurriedly, brushing past Flack.

She walked past him into the hallway and made her way to Sheldon's apartment. She reached up and knocked on the door.

Flack had made his way over and looked at her curiously. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"My boyfriend is a CSI. I have no idea what to do so I figured he would," she told him.

Just then, the door swung open to reveal Sheldon dressed in gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He was surprised to see both Allison and Flack on the other side of the door, together. "Uh, Flack?" he questioned, more curious to his reason for being there.

Flack was equally as surprised to see Sheldon. "Sheldon?" he asked, before turning towards Allison. "This is your boyfriend?"

Before Allison could answer, Sheldon spoke up. "What's going on?"

"My boss was murdered and he thinks that Angelica had something to do with," she told him. She was trying her best to remain calm but Sheldon could see she was having a hard time.

Sheldon placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him. He looked up at Flack. "Is Mac on the case?"

Flack nodded. "Along with Danny and Lindsay."

Sheldon nodded and looked at Allison. "Listen, I'm going to go down to the crime lab and see what's going on."

"Sheldon," Flack started. "You know Mac's not going to let you be a part of this."

"I know. I just need to see talk to him," Sheldon told him. "Do you have Angelica in custody?"

Flack hesitated before answering. "I got two of my guys bringing her in now."

Sheldon nodded in understanding. "I'll call you," he told Allison before turning back to Flack. "Let's go."


End file.
